


In another life, my dear,

by HeartbeatsAreMySymphony



Category: SKAM (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Childhood Friends, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, Childhood Friends, Forbidden Love, M/M, Soul Bond, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmate-Identifying Timers, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-24
Updated: 2017-04-24
Packaged: 2018-10-23 13:14:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,084
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10720035
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HeartbeatsAreMySymphony/pseuds/HeartbeatsAreMySymphony
Summary: They fell into the same rhythm as before, though this time, it was more boisterous: passionate. It was a secret they kept to themselves, and a part of Isak reveled in that: to have a world that belonged to only Even and himself. And, maybe, he was selfish— taking Even for himself when they both belonged to others. But it felt oh so right, that the guilt never lasted more than the length of his eyes flickering down to his wrist, then back to Even.





	In another life, my dear,

**Author's Note:**

> Halla! Here is a quick one-shot that I wrote a while ago, and found. I edited it, but please let me know if there are any mistakes!

_Recommended listening: The Night We Met— Lord Huron_

 

**11 and 13**

It's not easy. And yet, at the same time, it's effortless. Falling into Even is like falling into the water: the endless, lulling pull proving too strong for Isak ever to resist.

At first, he thinks nothing if it. Despite the numbers still ticking away on his wrist, Even fulfills him in a way he just _knows_ no one else ever could, regardless of what the government and their scientists insist.

 

∞

 

When Isak was five years old, he'd asked his mother what the numbers on his wrist meant. She'd told him it was called the _Countdown_ , and how it was simply counting down to when he would meet his Soulmate. Isak had nodded, and resumed his bath, not thinking much more of the ever shifting numbers etched into his skin.

It wasn't until he was eleven years old, that he thought again of the numbers. It wasn't until he'd met Even, and noticed that neither of their Countdowns had ended, that he realised just how much he hated the numbers.  

 

∞

 

“Mama,” Isak asked, one night over dinner. “Can two boys be soulmates?” It was innocent enough, but Mrs. Valtersen stiffened nonetheless, her eyes widening, and her breath slowing.

“No, Isak.” she looked him straight in the eye. “They can’t.”

 

∞

 

**12 and 14**

Isak and Even were laying on the floor beneath the older boy’s bunk bed, listening to Nas while doing their homework. Well. _Isak_ was doing their homework. Even, on the other hand, had his nose buried in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s _The Great Gatsby_ , occasionally giving commentary on the _genius_ that is Fitzgerald.  

“Issy?” the older boy asked when finally taking a break from his book.

“What?” asked a grumpy Isak, who didn’t bother to look up at his friend, and just wanted to get their maths over with.

Even chewed his lip, as though hesitant or nervous to ask his question, but did so regardless. “Do you think the Countdown can be wrong?” At this, Isak looked at Even, and the older boy quickly spluttered with an explanation. “I mean, in the book, Gatsby’s in love with Daisy, but their Countdowns don’t match. And in _Romeo and Juliet_ ,” continued Even, not allowing Isak to give an input, “they were Soulmates, even if their Marks weren’t each-others.” he finished.

Isak stared, puzzled, at his friend, unsure of how to respond. His heart was beating a mile a minute. _Maybe Even feels it, too_.

“Never mind,” said Even suddenly. “Forget it. It was stupid. Of _course_ that can’t happen.”

 

**∞**

 

Since the birth of humanity, Soul Marks have been a consistent aspect of the human experience. They read the name of your Soulmate, and when you first locked eyes, they would flourish into beautiful works of art. That’s how it was, until the 1900’s, when the government and scientists worked together to make a more _efficient_ Mark. Thus, the creation of the Countdown. However, along with this new creation, giving people peace of mind as to when they would find their One and Only, it gave the government the power to designate Soulmates. No longer would there be same-sex Soulmates, and all matches had to be approved before the start of a child’s Countdown. It's even rumoured that, if a parent has enough money, they can choose their child's Soulmate, themselves. 

 

**∞**

 

**13 and 15**

Isak was thirteen when Even left to a place on the other side of Norway after having a mental breakdown, and being diagnosed with Bipolar I. Isak was left to resume his life, as though a piece of him wasn’t missing. He'd figured Even was nothing but a pothole on the road to his Soulmate, and he did everything in his power to forget the sunshine smile of the blond boy he grew up with. And for a while, he succeeded.  

 

∞

 

**15**

When he and Jonas were in their last year before high school, Jonas met Eva. She was his at-the-time girlfriend, Ingrid,’s best friend. There eyes had met, and then, the clocks on their wrists faded away. Or so, that's how Jonas described it. In the beginning, Isak was bitter at how quickly Jonas had found his soulmate. But when Eva left him for Chris, only a year later, he realised, maybe soulmates weren't everything they were hyped up to be.

 

∞

 

**17 and 19**

Even came back. He came back without saying anything to anybody, and he hadn’t changed one bit. He was the same bright and bubbly boy Isak had known in childhood. Except, now his wrist was bare.  

Isak tried to talk to him, feeling the same pull towards him as he felt when they were children. Although, this time, it was _stronger_. And that frightened him. It _terrified_ him. But, he fell mercy to it once more, and found himself eye to eye with Even in one of Nissen’s bathrooms when he had been forced to attend Vilde’s stupid _Kosegrupa_ meeting by Sana.

Isak was there, and then Even was, too. They fell into each other the way they always desired, but never could; yearning for one another the same as Romeo and Juliet.

Hot tears stung Isak’s skin as he held Even as close as they could get without melding into one. They held each-other in an embrace reserved only for Soulmates, in a public restroom where anybody could come in and see them. And Isak found he didn’t give a _damn_.  

“I missed you.”

 

∞

 

They fell into the same rhythm as before, though this time, it was more boisterous: passionate. It was a secret they kept to themselves, and a part of Isak reveled in that: to have a world that belonged to only Even and himself. And, maybe, he was selfish— taking Even for himself when they both belonged to others. But it felt oh so _right_ , that the guilt never lasted more than the length of his eyes flickering down to his wrist, then back to Even.

 

∞

 

“Her name is _Sonja_.”

Even’s hand rested on Isak’s head, gently twirling his fingers through locks of gold, and brushing gently over his hood-covered head.

“She’s studying in America,” he continued, not daring to look him in the eye.

“Do you miss her?”

“She has a boyfriend.”

The heavy tension lifted, and the two fell into a peaceful sleep.

 

∞

 

“Isak, what are you _doing_?”

Isak and Jonas had decided to get kebab that day, after school, and were now sat in the park, peacefully eating. It had been a while since Jonas and Isak _really_ hung out together, just the two of them.

Isak arched an eyebrow. “Jonas, what are you talking about?”

“You know what,” he replied as he lifted Isak’s arm, and bared his wrist for an unobstructed view of his Countdown. Isak angrily snatched his wrist away, and tugged his sleeve back down.

Jonas sighed. “I know you love him,” he didn't have to say who. “But you and him both know you belong to other people.”

Isak’s eyes stung. “Maybe you should be telling that to Eva and Chris,” he spat out spitefully, then turned on his heel, leaving his best friend alone with his un-finished kebab, on the bench.

 

∞

 

When it happened, it was nothing how he had been told it would be. Looking back on it, Isak should have _known_. His Countdown had steadily decreased, from seventeen years, to a month, to two weeks, to _two hours_. But he ignored it. He figured, if he didn’t acknowledge it, it wouldn’t happen. And, if it did, he and his Soulmate wouldn’t notice until it was too late. He was wrong.  

Isak was at a party. Eva’s party, to be exact. He, Jonas, Mahdi, and Magnus were all tucked away in a bathtub, getting high via a makeshift bong composed purely of an old water bottle Magnus had had in his backpack. They were high as _fuck_ , and all Isak could think about was Even.

They were interrupted by two first years barging into the washroom, one with long, pale brown hair, and the other with short, dark hair. She looked like Natalie Portman, was Isak’s first observation. She wore a spaghetti-strap top, and her Countdown was on full display.

_… 2… 1…_

It was only when they locked eyes that he remembered his own. He felt a slight burning sensation, and his eyes flickered back to her wrist when he noticed her wince. To his utter awe, it was _gone._ He knew what he did next was _stupid_ , but, he couldn't help himself. He hastily pulled up his sleeve, and, low and behold, his Countdown was gone, too.

“I’m Emma,”

Isak had fled without saying a word to her.  

 

∞

 

He'd got on the first bus he'd seen, regardless of where it took him, and eventually, ended up at Even’s house. His parents were away on business in Denmark, and he had an extra key, so he allowed himself in without any worry.

The blond was sat on his bunk bed, quietly scrolling through his phone.

“Isak? Hey, what's wrong, baby? Something happen at the party?” Even climbed down, and stood in front of Isak, who was in the verge of breaking down. Shakily, he lifted his wrist, and bared it.

“I found her.”

 

∞

 

**24 and 26**

Isak didn't see her again until he was twenty-four, and Even was twenty-six. That night, back in Even’s small room, he and Even had agreed to never seek her out, and to live the way they'd always planned. Isak never once felt guilty about cheating her of her ‘ _One and Only_ ’, but he was always on edge afterwards, fearing she would somehow find him. And she did.

Life was good. He and Even had made it in life. After that night, Isak had transferred to Elvebakken to finish his last year, before leaving to Berlin with Even for university.

Even made it as a director, and Isak as a ground-breaking theoretical physicist. In fact, he had been in a few documentaries (none by Even), and even made cameos on shows like the _Big Bang Theory_ and _Doctor Who_ , as well as having written two books of his own, and be nominated for a Nobel Prize. They played the game of naming each other their Soulmate, and, in hindsight, Isak knew appearing in the media was a bad idea, but they did it anyways. After all, _livet er nå_ … right? They were a _sensation_ : the first public gay Soulmates. It was unheard of, and up until them, nobody thought it was possible.

It was after Even’s first Oscar that things got messy. He and Even walked away from the red carpet, Even’s award cradled in his arms, when they received an insidious letter in the mail.

_Valtersen, Isak_

_Global Countdown Association_

In short, Isak’s Soulmate was suing him.

 

∞

 

It was a messy battle, one which took years to settle. A media scandal, Even and Isak’s careers, respectively, were ruined. They had reached rock bottom, and had nothing left but each other, and a few awards stashed away in an old shoebox. All that was left was two boys with broken dreams and broken souls. And then, not even that.

 

∞

 

They lost.

 

∞

 

**37 and 39**

Emma was in the kitchen, bouncing Jonas on her hip as she idly stirred the sizzling, bright red sauce.

“I'll be back.” Isak kissed his son lightly on the forehead, before swinging his coat over his broad shoulders, and fishing out keys from the drawer.

“But, dinner’s almost ready!” cried out Emma. She placed Jonas down in his high-chair, and rushed to where Isak was putting his shoes on. “Issy, please—”

“Don't call me that.”

Emma closed her eyes, tears threatening to break through. “Isak, please, just stay for supper.” she pleaded. She picked up Jonas, and held him close to her chest. “Please.”

The door swung to a close, and footsteps lightly grew silent as the rumble of a car started.

 

∞

 

“I love you.”

Even held him close. The plush mattress of the suite they had booked and the silk sheets surrounding them making Isak feel as though he were in a dream: a parallel universe— a parallel universe where Countdowns and Soulmates didn’t exist, and he and Even had found each-other, and lived their lives on their own terms.

“I love you, too.”

Together, two boys held each other close: a pair of broken dreams and broken souls.

 

∞

 

“In another life, my dear, we would have had it all.” 

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed, if you did, please leave comments and kudos!


End file.
